A 6-year-old child has burns to the head, face, neck, and anterior chest. What percentage of body surface area is burned?

A 6-year-old child has burns to the head, face, neck, and anterior chest. What percentage of body surface area is burned?

• A. 14%
• B. 21%
• C. 36%
• D. 9%

Answer: (B)

In children, burn size is estimated with age-adjusted charts because the head and neck represent a larger portion of the body than in adults, and the distribution to the trunk changes with age. For a 6-year-old, burns to the head/face/neck contribute about 9% of total body surface area, and burns to the anterior trunk (the anterior chest) contribute roughly 12%. When both areas are burned, the total comes to about 21% of TBSA. That’s why the 21% option is the best answer here. The other numbers would imply too small or too large an area for burns confined to these regions in a child of this age. In practice, you’d use a Lund and Browder chart for a precise calculation, but conceptually this combination of head/neck/face plus anterior chest summing to around one-fifth of the body is expected in a 6-year-old.

In children, burn size is estimated with age-adjusted charts because the head and neck represent a larger portion of the body than in adults, and the distribution to the trunk changes with age. For a 6-year-old, burns to the head/face/neck contribute about 9% of total body surface area, and burns to the anterior trunk (the anterior chest) contribute roughly 12%. When both areas are burned, the total comes to about 21% of TBSA. That’s why the 21% option is the best answer here. The other numbers would imply too small or too large an area for burns confined to these regions in a child of this age. In practice, you’d use a Lund and Browder chart for a precise calculation, but conceptually this combination of head/neck/face plus anterior chest summing to around one-fifth of the body is expected in a 6-year-old.